The official blog of the Fresno Grizzlies

December 2012

Little known fact: Parker, everyone’s favorite mascot, moonlights as a movie critic. Read below for his take on Parental Guidance, in theaters on December 25th.

Parker on the set of the movie Parental Guidance.

On December 19th, the Grizzlies front office, some season ticket holders chosen via a random drawing and over 100 of our closest friends (chosen by the Fresno Beehive) were fortunate to get an early look at the movie Parental Guidance).

First, let me say the movie was GREAT! And when I say great, I mean elegantly told and hilariously written. (I guess I could have said that the first time.)

But I’m not here to critique the entire movie. That’s up to the professionals).

I’m going to share my thoughts on the most important parts: me…and the Grizzlies playing at Chukchansi Park.

My shining moment came during the Kiss Cam scene. I’m not going to spoil it, but someone does kiss another person (surprise!). I have to say, I looked great on the big screen.

There are some other great shots of the game at Chukchansi Park. An aerial shot of the stadium in Downtown Fresno. Artie walking out one last time through the centerfield gates. All beautifully captured by the movie crew.

Billy Crystal…er, I mean, Artie Decker was hilarious calling the action. Now, he is no Doug Greenwald, but Artie did hold his own. He had some great one-liners, keeping listeners on their feet (or on their seats, I suppose, since most people listen to the radio sitting down).

The unfortunate part is Artie’s time with the Grizzlies is short-lived in the movie. The baseball broadcaster of 35 years is fired because he cannot Tweet, poke on Facebook or the worst yet, #Hashtag. Clearly, Artie’s character did not consult those close to him because I have demonstrated I am capable of all those things, as seen here and here. My consulting fee is negotiable, in real-life or in the movies (I like food. Lots of it. It always goes straight to my midsection.)

We could have kept Artie as the voice of the Grizzlies even longer. I am here to entertain fans in the stadium as well as through the social media networks. Writers failed to recognize this (or they did, but it doesn’t go well with their entire plot line. I vote the latter.). We even have a bobblehead of him as a fan giveaway. Clearly, Fresno fans wanted to see more of Artie (Side note: could the actual Grizzlies give away this Artie Decker bobblehead in 2013? Stay tuned…).

Parker poses with some fellow actors from Parental Guidance.

Artie’s misfortune does breathe new life into his personal life, though. In the end, Artie Decker’s broadcasting career brings his family together. Even when he signs off after every game with a “Lights out, Alice,” you could feel his love for his family even from afar. The unexpected exit from the Grizzlies proved to be for the better in Artie’s life. The lessons learned are something I highly approve.

The movie and special screening showed me I also enjoyed spending time with my Grizzlies family. I can’t wait for the 2013 season to start, but until then, you can see Grizzlies baseball at Chukchansi Park at a theater near you. Go see Parental Guidance. It’s worth it.

Parker loves to party. But when he finds out the world is going to end (Thanks, Mayan calendar!), the Fresno Grizzlies mascot is forced to prepare quickly for the impending apocalypse in the latest episode of “I Hate The Off-Season 4: Apocalypse Later.”

Although the national headlines are (deservedly) grabbed by the likes of Angel Pagan, Marco Scutaro and Andres Torres, the San Francisco Giants and other Major League clubs are busy restocking their entire organization, from Low-A to Triple-A, with free agents.

The Giants have signed several familiar faces, as well as some new ones, to minor league free agent contracts. Here is an update (according to the www.SFGiants.com Transactions page) through December 13th:

RHP Shane Loux – signed on December 9th

Loux split the 2012 season between Fresno and San Francisco. He appeared in 23 games for the Grizzlies, going 4-1 with a 1.41 ERA. In fact, through his first 13 games with the Grizzlies, he allowed one run over 21 innings. With the Giants, he was 1-0 with a 4.97 ERA in 19 games.

C Tyler LaTorre – signed on November 21st

LaTorre enters his eighth season as a pro after being signed by the Giants as a non-drafted free agent in 2006. The Santa Cruz native has spent each of the last two seasons with the Grizzlies, appearing in 94 games. His 2012 season was cut short by a week – for a good reason, though. He joined the Italian National Baseball Team to compete in the 2012 European Baseball Championships.

C Guillermo Quiroz – signed on November 20th

The 13-year professional joins the Giants organization for the first time in his career. In 2012, Quiroz spent the majority of the season with the Tacoma Rainiers (the Grizzlies’ 2013 Opening Day opponent). He batted .278/.362/.483 over 89 games with the Rainiers. The Venezuelan also appeared in two games with the Boston Red Sox in September of 2012. Quiroz has split his time between the Majors and minors since 2004. He spent all of 2008 with the Baltimore Orioles.

RHP Willy Lebron – signed on November 19th

Lebron did not pitch in 2012. He signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians before the start of the season, but never appeared in a game at any level. The last time Lebron appeared in an official regular season game was in 2011 with the Omaha Storm Chasers. Lebron is currently pitching for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League. The right-hander is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA over his first 13 relief appearances.

RHP Eric Hacker – signed on November 14th

Hacker was outrighted by the Giants to Triple-A in September after being designated for assignment, but he elected free agency. In 2012, Hacker went 12-6 with a 4.01 ERA in 26 games (25 starts) for the Grizzlies. He made four appearances for the Giants, including his first career Major League start on April 27th. If he makes it to 2013 Opening Day with the Giants organization, it will be Hacker’s third season with the Giants. Hacker ranks third in Grizzlies franchise history in career wins with 28.

RHP Fabio Castillo – signed on November 14th

The 23-year-old has spent his entire pro career in the Texas Rangers organization. In 2012, he split the year between Double-A Frisco and Round Rock, making 14 appearances for the Express and striking out 13 and walking 14. From 2010-12, he pitched for Frisco. His best year with Frisco was this past season when he posted a 2.89 ERA over 21 appearances and striking out 28 over 37 1/3 innings. The 2013 season will be Castillo’s eighth year as a professional.

After going winless through his first three starts, Petit picked up his first win of the winter season on December 5th against Leones del Caracas. Petit may have walked four batters in the winning decision, but he was beyond effective, as he did not allow a run over eight innings. The right-hander did not pitch more than seven innings in all of the 2012 regular season. Also of note (but probably lacks any meaning), in Petit’s last 12 starts, which date back to July 29th with the Grizzlies, he has recorded a decision in 11 of the games. In his first 21 starts in 2012, he only had six decisions.

Machi’s sole appearance last week came on December 4th. His final pitching line looks good (2/3 innings pitched, no runs, one hit), but the devil is in the details. Machi entered the eighth inning with runners on first and third base and one out. He forced a groundout to the first batter he faced, but it allowed one run to score. The next batter singled to score another run, making the score 3-0 (which eventually turned out to be the final score). Since none of the runners were charged to Machi, the 2/3 scoreless innings did lower Machi’s ERA slightly from 7.71 to 7.20.

Over three games last week, Peguero went hitless in 10 plate appearances (nine at-bats) with five strikeouts. Peguero has struck out at least once in seven consecutive games (13 total strikeouts) and is batting .083 (2-for-24) over the same stretch. Peguero has continued to play center field in each of his 16 games with Cibao. With the Grizzlies in 2012, Peguero played in 27 games as a center fielder (77 games a right fielder).

Full disclosure: Williams slipped through the cracks in our previous Winter League updates. Williams, a catcher for the Grizzlies in each of the last three seasons, is playing for Leones del Escogido. He made his first appearance with Escogido on November 17th. After batting .179 through his first seven games, Williams is hitting .500 (6-for-12) with four runs scored and two RBIs in his last five contests.

Only half of MLB’s 30 teams took action in the Major League phase of the draft. (For more info about the Rule 5 Draft structure, click here).

The San Francisco Giants were among the half that sat out the Major League Phase. For the World Series champions, though, they elected to participate in the Triple-A Phase, picking up right-handed pitcher Scott Shuman from the Tampa Bay Rays. (The Giants lost a player in the Triple-A Phase as well: RHP Cameron Lamb to the Houston Astros. Lamb has never pitched above Class A Short Season).

Shuman, 24, was originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the 19th round of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft. The Auburn product made his professional debut for the Rays’ Rookie team in 2009, appearing in 10 games for the Princeton Rays of the Appalachian League.

The Valdosta, Georgia native spent 2010 and 2011 in Class A, including parts of both seasons with the Florida State League’s Charlotte Stone Crabs (although it was for only one game in 2010). With Class A Bowling Green in 2010, Shuman led the Hot Rods with 14 saves and held opponents to a .195 batting average against, the second best mark in the Midwest League.

In 2012, the right-hander appeared in 29 games for Double-A Montgomery, posting a 0-1 record with a 8.83 ERA (34er/34.2ip). He struck out 54 and walked 47 over the 34 2/3 innings as well.

For his four-year career, Shuman is 4-10 with a 4.29 ERA over 182 1/3 innings, tallying 283 strikeouts and 155 walks.

According to Baseball America, Shuman is most effective against right-handed hitters. He “pitches at 93-95 mph with power slider.”

Petit has remained winless in three starts with Margarita. He suffered the defeat in his last outing on November 28th against La Guaira, allowing four earned runs in the first inning. The right-hander allowed four of the first five batters he faced in the first frame to reach safely with a base hit. San Francisco Giants catcher Hector Sanchez eventually doubled off Petit to cap the inning’s scoring and make it 4-0. Petit allowed an unearned run in the second before finally settling down and surrendering one hit over his final three innings pitched. His final line read five innings, six hits allowed, five runs, four earned, one walk and five strikeouts.

Machi made two appearances last week, and the two games tell different stories for the right-hander. In his first outing, Machi entered in the seventh inning of an already-pretty-much-decided 6-1 game. He forced the first batter to fly out, but after three straight batters reached safely to load the bases, Carlos Colmenares hit a bases-clearing triple. Machi closed out the inning without any more damage, but three runs on three hits and one walk ballooned his ERA to 9.82. On December 1st, Machi was the Machi Grizzlies fans saw most often in 2012 as he threw two scoreless innings in a 14-5 Magallanes victory over Cardenales de Lara.

Peguero batted .222 (4-for-18) with one walk in five games last week. His only multi-hit effort came on November 27th when he went 2-for-3 with a double and run scored. The speedy outfielder added two steals to give him three in 13 games. Since November 28th, Peguero has struck out eight times in four games.

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